Shoe-fastening device



G. A. TURNBULL.

SHOE FASTENING DEVICE APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1902.

N0 MODEL W111} asses; l 1 .fidi

. I waiail v PATBNTED FEB. 16, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.,

PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE-FASTENING DEVICE.

SIEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 752,268, dated February 16, 1904.

Application filed April 23, 1902.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Gnonen A. TURNBULL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Fastening Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,-and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica- This invention relates to improvements in shoefastening devices, and more particularly to a lacing-hook of simple construction and designed to be used .on ladies shoes, as well as the shoes of men and of children.

The object of the invention is to provide a lacing: hook so constructed as to positively prevent the lace of a ladys skirt or other garment or a thread of any kind being drawn through the book after the shoe is laced.

The invention consists of the matters'hereinafter'described, and more fully pointed out and defined in the appended claim. 7

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe provided with a lacing-hook embodying-my invention. Fig. 2-is an en; larged fragmentarydctail of the same, illusthe eyelet, forming a relatively flat low inl1 wardlyslircctcd hook. The free ends of trating the manner of lacing the shoe. Fig.

3'is a transverse section through a pair of the.

hooks and illustrates the position the laces assume in the hook. Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating in the left-hand side thereof one position which the lace assumes in fastening and unfastening the same from the hook. I

As shown in said drawings, A indicates a shoe as a whole, which may be of any style or construction, having secured thereon in the usual manner the lacing-eyelets, (indicated by a, extending upwardly over the lower part of the instep. Above said eyelets and on each side of the shoe-upper are disposed the hooks B, which as shown are formed integral with the eyelets, I; and are bent transversely over Serial No. 104,400. mo model.)

hooks are turned under and inwardly and the extremities slightly upwardly, forming a bend near the free extremity of the hook which presses down on the leather of the upper of the shoe in close proximity to the front or tongue margin thereof,(indicated by C.) Said inwardly -directed ends or tongues of the hooks are curved slightly upward, as shown more fully in, Figs. 3 and 4:, the better to receive and retain the lace in the shoe and to prevent threads or shreds of the clothing finding their way beneath the hooks. Obviously the eyelet, with the integral book, as shown, may be stamped of a single piece of metal, with the hook portion forming a tongue extending radially therefrom. Said free end is then bent upwardly and over in the forni shown in Figs.- 3 and 4 to provide the hook.

The operation is as follows: It is to be observed that the hooks project inwardly toward the tongue of the shoe,with theinwardlydirected end portion. or tongue portion thereof located as shown. The shoe may be laced upward movement; carries the lace over the free end of the tongue'into. the end %of the "hook and into the bend thereofi, as shown in Fig. 3, thus straining or drawing said hook inwardly and closing the uppers over the tongue. Obviously no thread of lace nor shred of clothing can now possibly engage beneath the hook,,,inasmuchas said shred or lace engagesfirst on the lace of the shoe, which causes the same to slide up over the hook, it being'tmanifestly impossible for any part of the clothing to find its way into the hook or beneath the hook. In unlacing the shoe, the lace 'is pulled first laterally, then downwardly, and then' inwardly, thus releasing the same from the tongue of the hook and withdrawing the same from beneath the hook, or, if preferred, the lacing being'untied, the lacing may be drawn through the. hook in a v eyelets.

I m a 70 as usual, drawing'the laces beneath the hooks,

Obviously many details of construction may be varied without departing from the principle of my'invention.

v I claim as my invention 5 In a device of the class described the combination with an eyelet, of a hook thereon comprising a strip integral with the eyelet and extending transversely thereof to a point be-. yond the same and the free end of said strip 10 turned inwardly and upwardly, with the bend formed thereby closely engaging the shoeupper thereby forming a closed hook throughtherein between the upturned end and said hook for the lace when seated.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I I V GEORGE TURNBULL.

In presence of HENRY F. DI'IZEL,

ANNA vB. HILLS. 

